Saturday, 31 July 2010

Pos Malaysia released a set of three stamps on July 31, 2010 (Saturday), on topic of grand knight of Valour. I don't know much about the knight depicted on the stamps, but the stamp designs look fine with me. It has been quite some years of Pos Malaysia not issueing stamps on Saturday. I find it good to have stamps released on Saturdays as most of us collectors are not working on Saturday, so that we could really take our time to indulge ourselves in buying new stamps.

Thursday, 29 July 2010

Many of us do pay extra attention to a cover if the cover is cancelled by clear datestamp (not machine cancellation). We find all kind of alphabets below the date of the modern datestamp. These alphabets carry secret codes..... hehehehehe. I think we normally see code "K" and sometime we do see code "M". Well, "K" is referred to counter (in Malay kaunter) and "M" means mail (in Malay mel). What else codes do you see on the datestamps?

In Kelantan, code "C" is still being used on some datestamps, and of course "C" is for counter. There are also other codes appear on the modern datestamps. Below is the list of these secret codes.

Have I missed any other secret codes? Please kindly inform me if I have left out some other codes.

P/S: I had a discussion with a fellow collector on topic of datestamp code over the weekend. I'm learnt that code "R" on datestamp from Kelantan is still being used. "R" means registration. So, it looks like some post offices in Kelantan are still using "old" datestamp chops (same as that of code "C" on datestamp also from Kelantan).

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

I noted that the RM10 revenue stamp has new font type for its control number. The new font type has a font size smaller than the old one. It would be nice if we could know when (the control number) the old font type ends and the new font type starts on the RM10 revenue stamp, and I guess this would also be applied on the other denominations of the revenue stamps....... maybe someone would like to take up this challenge to get the answer..... hehehehehehe

One postal staff from a post office told me that someone came to the post office to purchase stamps. This someone brought up my name during the introduction saying I am his friend, and he even said that he is a member of PSM (I was just wondering if the PSM has got something to do with his stamp purchase in the post office). However, this someone's dealing with the postal staff ended badly. The postal was extremely disgusted by this someone. Of course, the postal staff told me the story with much anger. I said to the postal staff that this someone is no my "friend". I related my story to another stamp collector fellow, and this stamp collector fellow also claimed that there are some people use (take advantage) his name in some post offices when making stamp purchases. Come on you guys, just be fair to us when you want to purchase stamps from a post office, just go ahead buying stamps and there is no need mentioning our names........ I don't know about my this stamp collector fellow, but I definitely don't want to be famous.

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

I always feel contented when I look at my collection of used covers with Malaysia modern stamps. It is quite hard to see nice Malaysia modern commemorative stamps on covers with clear cancellation. Many collectors don't feel like using commemorative stamps for postage, and always keep these commemorative stamps as mint stamps or just use these stamps to make first day covers. Sometime, I do see some collectors cancelled their mint stamps with first day special postmark (this is called CTO, and I HATE CTO). Below are some scanned images of the part of cover with stamps and cancellation (I don't show the whole covers for some reasons). These covers were sent to overseas destinations with correct postage rate.

Pos Malaysia re-issued Garden Flower State Definitives in format of miniature sheet on November 24, 2009. The the colour of these re-issued state definitives is more saturated/vibrant compared to the original issue released on December 31, 2007. The miniature sheet state definitives are sold in a set of 14 states at a price of RM25. Many collectors made first day covers for this re-issued state definitives, and of course many keep these miniature sheets as mint in their collection. I was just wondering how many collectors have actually used these definitives from the miniature sheet as postage stamps. Showing below are a few covers franked with the state definitives from the miniature sheet. They look gorgeous on plain covers as postage stamps..........

Monday, 26 July 2010

With the introduction of Garden Flower National Definitives on July 1, 2010 and the subsequent of printing of these definitives in format of 100-stamp sheet for all the eight denominations (30s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, RM1 and RM2), one may ask earnestly what will be happening to the 2005 Bird Definitives and 1986 Fruit and Agro-Based Definitives. Well, Pos Malaysia is actually messing up the definitive stamps. When a new definitive stamp set is released, the new definitive stamps are supposed to replace all the old ones. However, Pos Malaysia does not seem to follow this rule. Some denominations of the old definitives are still in use together with the new ones, and some denominations of the new ones are not reprinted to be in use...... it is really a mess.

Before the introduction of the Garden Flower National Definitives, definitives of various issues with denominations 5s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, RM1, RM2, RM5, RM10 and RM20 were being in circulation or use. The 5s and 10s definitives were of 1986 Agro-Based Wilayah Persekutuan; the 20s, 30s, 50s, RM1 and RM5 were of 2005 Bird Definitives; and the 40s, RM2, RM10 and RM20 were of 1986 Fruit Definitives. It is shame that the 2007 Garden Flower State Definitives are not materialized to be real definitives (it rather becomes "commemoratives"). Now, the question in most collectors' mind is that will the introduction of Garden Flower National Definitives make the murky situation becomes more murky?

Well, with the revision of postal tariff the denomination 40s is longer neccessary. So, the 1986 Fruit (rambutan) Defintive would most likely be phased out. The denominations 30s, 50s and RM1 of 2005 Bird Definitives and the denomination RM2 of 1986 Fruit (starfruit) Definitives would be replaced by the Garden Flower National Definitives 30s, 50s, RM1 and RM2. How about denominations 5s and 10s of 1986 Agro-Based Definitives? Well, there are so far no new definitives with these two denominations, meaning that these two Agro-Based Definitives would most likely in circulation until new definitives are issued. If Pos Malaysia decides to round up 5s to 10s for postal rates, then the 5s denomination definitive is longer needed. The denomination 20s is neccessary for topping up value, and the Garden Flower National Definitives do not have 20s denomination, therefore, the 2005 Bird Definitive 20s would be in circulation until new definitives are issued. The same story goes to RM5, RM10 and RM20 as that of 20s. So, we would be still seeing RM5 Bird Definitive, RM10 (mango) and RM20 (papaya) Fruit Definitives. These high denominations (RM5, RM10 and RM20) are needed for parcel and bulky mail though in small quantity compared to low denominations.

So, what will be the most likely situation of definitive stamps of Malaysia? Honestly, it is still a mess with 1986 Agro-Based, 1986 Fruit, 2005 Bird and 2010 Garden Flower National Definitives in use side by side! I am learned that there could be new definitives (low denominations) released next year, and these low denomination defintives would be state definitives.

Saturday, 24 July 2010

I've been writing on Malaysia philately for the past one week. Well, this entry is a bit of change - non-Malaysia philately. I'm showing you a cover from Hong Kong and some Hong Kong stamps. This cover is so simple and clear, and I just love it. I particularly love it because the cover is franked with a frog stamp cancelled with a clear handstamp of GPO Hong Kong dated on July 15, 2010. The frog stamp is part of the four-stamp set issued on July 15, 2010. Actually, I asked a Hong Kong friend to buy me this stamp set including the miniature sheet, and use the frog stamp on the cover when sending to me. I told him not to send me first day cover, because I dislike first day covers. The stamp set also contains a dragonfly stamp. Dragonfly stamps are also my favourite. In fact, I have been indulging myself most weekends on photographing dragonflies and damselflies. I own another blog on dragonflies/damselflies (click here to visit to the blog).

The papaya RM20 definitive stamps (image below) have slight vertical perforation shifted to the left. However, the shift is not enough to make the flaw spectacular..... how much I wish the vertical perforation to gain another 1 or 2 mm to the left...... sigh.

I just acquired the serial number block for 30s garden flower definitive stamp. The serial number is 2010/1 (click here to see serial numbers for denominations 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s). So, now I'm still hunting serial numbers for 50s, RM1 and RM2 denominations. Wish me the luck..... hehehehehe

Friday, 23 July 2010

Not many collectors are aware of the presence of fluorescent mark as a security measure on the bird definitive. The fluorescent mark contains Pos Malaysia logo and "SPM" wording. This fluorescent mark was only applied on the 30s bird reprint with serial number 2009/5. You may need an ultra-violet light equipment to view this fluorescent mark. I use money detector as a source of ultra-violet light to view the fluorescent mark.